Victor Wembanyama, Spurs’ ‘confidence’ reaches new high in NBA Cup win vs. Thunder

LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama could not have scripted his return for the San Antonio Spurs from a calf injury that sidelined him for nearly a month in a better way than coming back for the NBA Cup semifinals against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite the Spurs going 9-3 in their 12 games without him, Wembanyama is the leader of this franchise. In order to compete to the best of their ability against the Thunder, a team that was 24-1 entering Saturday night in Las Vegas, head coach Mitch Johnson knew his team would need all of their pieces to contribute.

For the first time all season, this team was whole, and Wembanyama’s presence, even though it was only for 21 minutes off the bench, was vital.

“Honestly, tonight was one of those, with just all the added emotion, excitement, nerves, good and bad, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Johnson said in the immediate aftermath of the Spurs’ 111-109 win over the Thunder in the NBA Cup, handing Oklahoma City their second loss of the season. “I thought (Victor) did a phenomenal job of impacting the game without having to score.

“He was aggressive. He wanted to play with the basketball in his hand, but I thought he did a good job of impacting the game without having to score.”

Wembanyama played 21 minutes off the bench for the first time in his career, as the Spurs and Johnson closely monitored his minutes. He finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and was +21 off the bench, the highest plus-minus on the team.

In a unique situation with emotions running high in a Game 7-like atmosphere during the NBA Cup, Wembanyama was determined to give his team everything he had to ensure success.

Even so, it was not just the leader of the Spurs contributing.

De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle led the way with 67 combined points, shooting 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three-point range in the win. Although Wembanyama may be the engine of the Spurs, he wasn’t the reason they were able to take down the best team in the NBA — it was a collective effort that defines who this team in San Antonio is.

“I think all these opportunities are learning opportunities to get better and to grow, and then obviously when you’re able to win, there is something there that speaks to the confidence,” Johnson continued. “We are very comfortable in recognizing Victor as the face of our franchise and the biggest piece of our puzzle. But he’s not the puzzle by himself, and he doesn’t want to be. We are a team, and we are a group.

“All these games are moments and opportunities for us to continue to grow.”

Victor Wembanyama raises Spurs’ confidence

To say this was an emotional game for the Spurs would be an understatement.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Wembanyama was the first to greet his teammates with a roar and his arms up in the air. He wanted to return in such a big game for his team, and he made sure to expedite the celebration by running down the tunnel and screaming his way into the Spurs’ locker room, where Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” could be heard blasting on their speakers.

This may have only been Game No. 25 for the Spurs this season, but it was the most impactful and the one that will set the stage for the rest of their season.

“It’s just incredible. I keep asking these guys for the last 12 games, just get better, do some beautiful things. And I just wanted to be a part of it,” Wembanyama said with a huge smile on his face. “I’m glad that we can still do it when I’m here. I’m happy with that, of course. But I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful. So pure and ethical basketball.”

Every team in the NBA always wants to beat the best. The Thunder, who were the hunters last season, have become the hunted this season with a big target on their backs.

While Wembanyama and the Spurs didn’t treat this game any differently in terms of preparation and the way they play, their mindset immediately shifted to winning this game by any means necessary.

“This is not a regular game; this is not a typical regular season game,” Wembanyama explained. “Because we know that if we lose, we’re out. Some people are built for these moments; some aren’t. But we definitely are, and it shows, because it’s not against anybody that we won that
game. I feel lucky. I’m glad we have this group because everybody buys into this, and everybody is built for these moments.

“For the first time in my career, we’re winning much more than we’re losing.”

Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox preach consistency, collective mindset

It was clear that this win meant more for the Spurs, regardless of this counting as a regular game during the season.

The bottom line is that it wasn’t just another game for the Spurs, and they made sure to prove to the rest of the NBA that they are just as worthy as the Thunder to be in the conversation at the top of the league.

This team sustained success without Wembanyama, who was in the MVP conversation prior to his injury, and they are one win away from winning the NBA Cup.

No matter what outside noise exists about this group following one win over Oklahoma City, the Spurs wanted this game because of what it proves to themselves.

“I think it just shows that we are serious. I think it shows our maturity, no matter who is in the game,” Castle told ClutchPoints after the win. “We have a lot of guys who can contribute on any given night. People were saying that they (the Thunder) were unbeatable. We come into every game with the same mindset, so it shows what kind of team we are.”

Much of the same was said by Fox, who has become a leading voice in the Spurs’ locker room since his arrival before the 2025 NBA trade deadline 10 months ago. Whether it’s Wembanyama, Fox, Castle, or someone else, this group holds no hierarchy when they are on the court together, and the process of doing things the right way, no matter the opponent, is what has led to their success.

That is why the Spurs have put themselves at the forefront of everyone’s minds around the NBA, and that is why Fox believes that as long as this team continues to trust their collective mindset, the sky’s the limit for what they can achieve.

“That’s what we preach. Obviously, it’s great to learn in the process while winning. It’s always better to go through it like that than to have to have growing pains,” Fox said. “But we always go into every game, no matter who we’re playing against, best team in the league, worst team in the league, whatever it may be, and we worry about ourselves first.

“We know if we go out there and we execute to the point that we know we can execute that, we give ourselves a chance to win regardless of who we’re playing against.”

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